Street name chosen for home of Shakespeare North Playhouse

The Prescot street that will become home to the new Shakespeare North Playhouse has been named in a public vote.

People were asked to choose from a shortlist of six proposed names from the 378 that were put forward in a competition, with suggestions relating to the Bard’s plays, characters and other historical Prescot links.

Prospero Place is the chosen address for the multi-million pound Knowsley theatre and education hub, on which main construction work is due to begin in autumn this year.

Almost half of the public votes are said to have been in favour of the chosen street name, which had initially been suggested by a number of Prescot residents including Peter Smith, Julie Pontin and her son Luke, and Charlotte Jones and her mum Debbie.

“All of the shortlisted nominations were exceptional ideas, but I think Shakespeare is definitely bringing a lot of magic to Prescot and that has certainly influenced people’s votes.”

Knowsley could be one of only three places in the world to have the Prospero Place address, with the street name also found in Canada’s Newfoundland and in the heart of the business district in Stratford, New Zealand.

Other shortlisted names which were put to the public vote included ‘Elsinore Place’, ‘Strange’s Men Walk’, ‘Cardenio Way’, ‘Siddons Street’ and ‘Illyria Way’.